Rokin Around Oz

At last I received a call that our new car was ready to be picked up. We had been looking forward to the call for a few weeks, since deciding before Christmas that we wanted a dual cab ute to travel around the country.

It was also time to farewell our old faithful Terracan, the car that introduced us to four wheel drive touring, took us to some magical places, and encouraged us to dream of heading off next year for a lap around the country.  The car that indirectly lead to this blog - through all the support at the Australia4WD forum.  Wow.  Our next set of wheels would have some big shoes (tyres?) to fill!

Terry, as the Terracan was affectionately called, was given a final wash, filled with fuel and taken into town. The dealer was surprised when I handed over the car with all the receipts, papers and both sets of keys. I hope some other family can have as much fun exploring the region in Terry as we did.

Terry all cleaned and ready for a new life.

But of course reminiscing is short lived when your next new toy is parked in the same lot. Our new set of wheels was sitting there, with a monstrous steel tray and tow bar ready for work.

New Car for Project 2014

Over the past few months we have been starting to think about what things we are going to take with us camping.  Whilst we have survived well enough camping for a a week or two, when travelling for 12 full months, there is going to be a few additional things that will be necessary to make the trip enjoyable.

And it was beginning to dawn on us that our ever faithful and dependable Terracan was probably not going to be able to fit us all in.

So we started thinking about what capability did we really want in a vehicle.  The list of course continued to grow, and ended up looking something like this:

• Dual Cab Ute (cab chassis)
• Steel Tray
• Towbar
• Water and Dust proof canopy with jack off legs
• Steel Bullbar (winch compatible in case I get lucky and find a free winch somewhere!)
• Snorkel
• Comfortable for ALL of us touring
• Under warranty for our trip - meaning a 2012 model vehicle

And so the hunt was on.  There are many dual cab utes on the market that were worth considering, including the new Toyota Double Cab 70 series - all the way down to the offerings by Great Wall.  The decision wasn't going to be easy - and indeed it wasn't.

Lake Macquarie and Beyond

Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending a family Christening in Newcastle.  Newcastle is a good five hour drive north from home, and we had a choice to make.  Would we drive up in our Subaru, staying in a motel, or would we take the camper and stay in a caravan park.

We elected to take the camper.  We headed north on the freeway, making the most of the M7 motorway.  Pennant Hills Road is never much fun at the best of times, but we were through soon enough and heading up the F3.

We arrived at the caravan park I had booked, and my heart sank.  The park's name held the promise of enjoying a holiday - walking to the water to wet a line... Well if you took a cut lunch that is.  It became very apparent to me that my choice in park was not popular in the left front seat.

Now if we had both had few good night's sleep under our belts, the conversation in the front seats might have been a little more diplomatic... but we were both a little grumpy.  A few terse words were exchanged.  Thankfully Jo was a little quicker than me to work on a solution to our problem and my salvation came in the form of an iPhone and Google.

Between the iPhone and Google, Jo was able to find and book an unpowered site at  Belmont Pines Lakeside Holiday Park.

The park was well maintained, with a new kids playground and a pool to keep the tykes amused.  It also had a magnificent view overlooking Lake Macquarie.  It was perfect.... and I was saved.

The unpowerd sites had a great view

Sometimes it doesn't all go to plan

Like all good things, when you do too much of a good thing, something is bound to go wrong.  Or, if you do enough travelling on rough roads, something is bound to break eventually.

We certainly had a great time on our last camping adventure.  Bendethera Valley is about as good as it gets, with perfect weather and the valley almost to ourselves.  The aim of our week down there was to relax away from society for a while to recharge our batteries, and get a bit of focus on the more important things in life for a while.

It was also a chance to try out a few ideas that had been in my head for a while.  My set up with the Coleman Hot Water on Demand was a great success...  but not everything else went to plan.

Many of you would realise by now that when I get a new toy - I like to try it out to make sure I can use it before having to use it in anger.  It happened to me when I bought a 'free hand winch'.  Our next camping adventure found us stuck on a remote trail with rain coming in.  Out came the winch to haul us out, and I found myself wondering if I had jinxed myself entirely.

So one sunny afternoon I decided that I wanted to see if the Camper's wheels would fit on the Terracan, and vice versa.  I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if the stud pattern was the same, allowing me to consider purchasing Terracan rims for the camper.  The little helpers were most interested in the evolution, and eagerly undid the wheel nuts (after they were loosened of course).

33 inch tyres fill up the Terracan's arches... I am not game to lower the jack!

The Return of Spring!

At last, the days a getting longer, and more importantly warmer, and thoughts turn again to getting back on the road and camping.  The camper has been sitting in the shed for the past couple of months, and is getting itchy feet - or is that itchy wheels... Either way, we are keen to get back under canvas soon.

I hope to give an update in the next couple of weeks of our pre-season maintenance schedule for the camper, but that can wait until I haul it out of the shed and take some photos.  We have kept the solar panel hooked up to the batteries, so they're fully charged and sitting at 14volts which is great.  The camper is looking a little dusty, and I am in the process of changing the generator box for a new one to house the Coleman Hot Water system...  All good fun!

In the meantime it has been a hectic few months in this household.  The usual whirlwind of school and all its associated additional commitments, with a few other projects on the go, including unpacking and setting up our new home was compounded with a bit of surgery and a few weeks laid up.  Ah if only there was more hours in each day!

With impeccable timing,  the day I go in for surgery, the Little Helper revealed that he had perhaps got a small piece of Lego stuck up his nose.   Jo ended up spending all day at hospital with him, whilst various nurses and doctors all had a go at removing the Lego.    Eventually a team of three burly nurses wrapped him in a sheet and held him still whilst a doctor extracted the Lego.  It was a painful way to learn that the only thing you should stick in your nose, is your elbow!

Internal Combustion Engine Model - for little mechanics (and not so little ones!)

The Little Fisherman has been showing more interest in the mechanical workings of engines of late, so when I found this model of an internal combustion engine by Haynes, I knew I had the perfect birthday present.  We spent the best part of a rainy day putting it together, and were thrilled with the result.

Of course we then had to try out our skills on a real car.

A quiet winter???

It has been a little quiet on the blog front over the past couple of months.... but it is not due to any slow-down in the pace of life for our little family.

We snuck in a quick camp at Wee Jasper with a group of friends before the real cold set in. With a bunch of friends, a campfire and the benefit of hot showers, it was great to get out for a couple of nights under canvas, as a last hurrah.

The kids try to make a rock bridge at Wee Jasper

The Great Paper Plane Throwing Competition

Then we returned home and started getting ourselves ready to move house.

Easter at Boorowa

This Easter we replied to Howard's kind invitation to the Australia4WD.com forum members, to join Margret and himself on their beautiful farm at Boorowa for the long weekend.  We had met Howard and Margret before on movie nights and day trips, and had heard a lot about the farm around the campfire.  It was time to see it for ourselves.

Well it didn't disappoint.  Just over an hour and a half from our front door we turned off the blacktop and through the farm gate.  We followed Howard's mud map and meandered past the various buildings and sheds typical of Australian farms, before we headed east and then the landscape changed dramatically.

The land simply fell away and opened up a magnificent vista of the Boorowa River, with our campsite barely perceptible in the valley below:

The Valley Opened Up Before Us

Normally this time of year, most of the countryside is looking pretty desperate, however the uncommonly mild and wet summer had the grass coming up to bonnet height.  This long grass is very effective at concealing large granite rocks for those willing to venture off the track.  It was quickly apparent that there was an opportunity to seriously test a 4WD to its limits here, or simply relax and allow the beer and wine to chill whilst wetting a line.

We were with a bunch from Australia4WD forum... what do you think happened!

Do Terracans Float?

It has been a long time coming, but it was with unbridled joy that we headed out of town last Friday with the camper in tow, destination Shoalhaven River.  We were aiming for a camp we had spotted on our last adventure to the coast, and we now had it on good authority that there was an all weather access road from the west that would get us there.

With all the rain recently, we had heard that Oallen Ford had been up to 1.6 metres underwater.  Our camp was a little further upstream, and we weren't sure what to expect.  It was evident however that some large amounts of water had been over the road in places... and a few kilometres short of our destination we came across our first crossing.  It turned out that this was the easy one!

Thankfully a wade across confirmed there was a concrete base, and even more importantly the approaches were still in place.  The boy's were excited and I had to make a second trip with The Little Fisherman on my shoulders to take photos of our splash.

The two boys provided plenty of advice...

Before we sailed through... Mr Six and a Half taking the photo

We then ambled along into our camp... and what a camp we found.

The occasional disadvantage of the road less travelled

We managed a good week at home getting everything in order before heading off again for the last week of the school holidays.  This time I couldn’t get the grin off my face as I pointed Terry, this time with Matilda the camper in tow, on a southerly heading.  Our destination was near Cann River, Victoria, at the end of the Monaro Highway. By the end of the trip the grin was gone and a very very dark cloud was hanging over the passenger seat.

We enjoyed a leg stretch at Nimmitabel , a good half way point.  The bakery was popular with the kids – who enjoyed the outdoor playground and the Elephant.

We were staying with friends on their 40 hectare (100 acre) slice of paradise.  Their property backs onto the state forest down that way – so it felt a lot bigger.  We took the kids for a bush walk around the block – a good slog indeed rewarded with some great views.

The boys enjoy the walk

A shiny Terry returns - but it isn't long before I break something!

It seems that everything happens in the lead up to Christmas, and of course we don't seem to do things by halves in our family.

With a busy schedule of school concerts, assemblies, swimming lessons, BBQ's, community breakfasts and the rest in the last few weeks of school, Jo and I have been having nightly planning meetings to make sure we get everything both of the little helpers to their assigned activities.  How families with more than two kids do this is completely beyond my comprehension and my sincere admiration goes out to you.

Somewhere in the middle of this, Terry was booked in for repairs, following our little mishap a few weeks ago.  With careful examination of the calender, we chose a week and a half block where living with one car would have the least impact on our family.  So on Monday 5th of December we dropped Terry off to get a new bumper, to be picked up on the 14th.

A New House For Terry

After three years of frosty winter mornings and living outside, we decided it was time for a new house for Terry and Suby.  Whilst we chose a simple 6m x 9m carport design, we decided that we didn't want the standard colourbond K Panel cladding.  We were fortunate to know of an old hayshed that had long fallen over, and with kind agreement of the owners, we removed the old iron.

The old hayshed iron is loaded into the trailer

After my efforts building the cubby house, and knowing the limitations of my building experience, I decided that the main construction of the carport was to be outsourced to local contractors.   We thought that this would be a straightforward operation, but no it was not to be.

What Terry Gets Up To In His Spare Time, Part II

In my last installment we looked at two of Terry’s primary duties - Taxi for the Little Helpers and being a mobile tool-shed.  Of course Terry has many other duties....  

iPhone Cover Load Tester
Not an intentional role at all, but on one occasion I dropped my phone whilst removing a stick that had been caught up under Terry. A few kilometres down the road I realised I didn't have my camera, not even realising at this point that my iPhone wasn't in my pocket either.  I returned to find the camera unscathed by the side of the track, but my phone was lying face down with a dirty great Cooper STT tyre print running right over the top of it.  

I thought my shiny new iPhone's days were over, but full credit the the Otterbox Impact cover – the phone escaped with nary a scratch, and eighteen months later it is still going strong!

Firewood Collector
Our house is heated with 100% renewable, ecologically friendly firewood, collected from a nearby farm. Terry hauls an empty trailer to the farm and watches by whilst the trailer gets filled with timber.

What Terry Gets Up To In His Spare Time, Part I

Nearly all my blogs so far have been about the wonderful camping adventures we have got up to as a family, and a few misadventures too. Now whilst it would be a great thing if we could make a career out of exploring Australia, reality is a little more mundane.


We lead fairly normal busy lives around our two active young boys. We live in a small village, are involved with the school and all the associated social events that it entails such as birthday parties, community morning teas and the like. It is all good healthy fun. Somehow around all that I work full time, and whilst the tax man considers Jo’s employment part time, any mother would agree that being a mum is anything but a part time job!


As this blog started on the Australia4wd forum, it is only fitting that we look at what Terry – our 2005 Hyundai Terracan gets up to in his spare time. After all it is a well known fact that the majority of four wheel drives never venture off the blacktop.

Watagan Wanderings – don't forget to check the oil!

The sun was almost shining as we bade farewell to the Cousins and thought about commencing our southerly journey home.  We were planning three more nights under canvas before returning, and were still undecided as to our destination.  Upper Colo Reserve and the Watagan Mountains were our options, but we were in no hurry to make up our mind... so we went to the beach!


Such country kids... jeans and boots at the beach!

But lovin' it

After an ice cream at Bar Beach Kiosk, we thought we would give the Watagan Mountains a go, as they were close to our track south, and there is a myriad of camping sites on offer.  We had heard the Watagans are a mecca for 4wd challenges, trail bike riders and the like, we were a little hesitant as to what we would find given our ability to choose campsites near doof-doof stereos. 

Western Plains Zoo

We made good time from our camp at Boyd River to Orange via Oberon and Bathurst.  We enjoyed a leg stretch in Orange, and followed the railway line north to Wellington via Euchareena, appreciating the diversion off the main highway.  We did have a peek at Lake Burrendong, with the intention of stopping at the State Park for lunch, however we were politely told that it was $10 to enter the park.  Needless to say we wern't that desperate for lunch and drove on to Wellington, 27km to the north west.


The suspension bridge over the Bell River at Wellington

Cameron Park at Wellington is a favourite place of ours to stop for lunch, with a suspension bridge over the Bell River providing entertainment for energetic little legs. A short stint on the Mitchell Highway to Dubbo reminded us of why we enjoyed taking the roads less travelled.  Mr Red Audi was a menace to all on the road, tailgating and trying to take every chance to get past us.  We were following a truck at a reasonable distance, and whilst the Audi got past us easily enough we had the pleasure of watching his dangerous driving for the next twenty five minutes or so as we meandered into Dubbo.

For the boys the Zoo was the whole purpose of our trip north.  We booked into the Big 4 Caravan Park, just a short cycle from the zoo, and caught up with CarieNan and PaBob who had joined us from the north.  The park well laid out, and with so many kids staying with bikes to explore the zoo, they had laid out a BMX track to keep the kids amused, in addition to the jumping pillow, pool and playground. I think Jo was just happy to have a hot shower!


About to head off for our safari at the zoo!

The Saturday of our Zoo adventure dawned drizzly with a forecast of passing showers.  We gamely packed a picnic lunch into our backpack, and prepared to boys for a day on their push bikes.  As we arrived and bought our tickets the heavens opened and we started making alternative arrangements, however the shower passed and we entered to zoo on our bikes – raincoats on!

Caves to Caves - Part IV – Boyd River

Our camp at Boyd River was beautiful, but at 1250 metres above sea level was rather chilly.  We set up camp quickly decided that we would spend the afternoon inside the tent playing games and reading the Muddle Headed Wombat.  The rain was now coming down in a good steady way, and our relief at being at the top of the plateau after our journey here was immense.

I reflected on our previous few hours and realised that perhaps we had bitten off a bit more than we could chew by coming along the Kowmung River Fire Trail, but the satisfaction of taking on the track and emerging triumphant was intoxicating (or was that the celebratory beer or two?).  Jo confided in me that although our situation wasn't exactly pleasant, she was comforted in the fact we had the Personal Locator Beacon in the glove box.  We also were trialing a SPOT Messenger and my parents had lent me their satellite phone for the trip.  She was extremely confident that if all went to custard, at least she could get the kids (and her too no doubt) into a nice warm bed for the night...

Caves to Caves - Part III - Recovery should be a four letter word...

Our plan on departing Yerranderie was to retrace our steps to Mount Werong, where we would then proceed to Boyd River via Dingo Dell and the Kowmung River Fire Trail. On the Banshee Road into Dingo Dell we had our fist hint things might get a bit more exciting with a small NPWS sign stating simply 4WD ONLY. Hmm. I had been wondering to myself if we were going to see any steep hills requiring low range during this trip. Sure, some of the hills in and out of Yerranderie required first gear hauling the camper up them, but nothing thus far would have presented a challenge for a normal car, carefully driven. All this was about to change...

At last we engaged low range for the descent into Dingo Dell. As we continued down into the valley we realised that the trail was very steep in places, and the surface was clay in several places. We were looking forward to lunch at the bottom, but the clouds started to close in, and a shower of rain greeted us as we pulled into the camp site.

Descending on the Banshea Road to Dingo Dell

The creek at Dingo Dell campground

A little word in the back of my head said we needed to get out of there... now. Jo echoed my thoughts by voicing them, clearly and succinctly.

The Little Fisherman was most disappointed as we elected to continue our journey up and out of the valley before the rain set in - delaying two of the most important things in the world - an opportunity to wet his line AND lunch.

As we headed north from Dingo Dell towards the Tuglow Caves, the track seemed to be even more steep that the entry. We then stopped at the bottom of a steep and badly rutted section for a pause, a think and to drop another 5psi out of the tyres.

Caves to Caves - Part II - Yerranderie

Yerranderie

We followed Langs Road and then Range Fire Trail from Wombeyan Caves north before joining the Oberon – Colong Stock route near Mount Werong Camping Area.  The tracks were in reasonably good condition, and we stayed in 2wd for the majority of the run north.  As we proceeded east on the stock route, the road slowly deteriorated for the final run down into Yerranderie.

The old gardens

Yerranderie is a ghost town, testament to the fickle nature of silver prices and the requirement to secure long lasting water for Sydney.  All but abandoned it is a time capsule of historic buildings, slowly being invaded by termites.

Caves to Caves - Part I - Wombeyan Caves

With foreboding skies, and a forecast for showers and rain, we thought we would make the most of a rare opportunity for leave and school holidays and make tracks north. Over the next week or so our plan was to head to Dubbo and the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, via the Wombeyan Caves, Yerranderie and Kanangra Walls.

The plan was to live in the camper for the best part of two weeks – the best we had managed thus far was a three day run. We relocated the awnings and spare canvas to the roof of the car, and put six wardrobe draws into the under-bed storage of the camper. This way we all had one draw each for clothes, one was for spare medical supplies and the other was extra food. The fridge and freezer were stocked, bikes loaded and car checked. It seemed we were ready.

We managed to get away in good time on Saturday and arrived in Goulburn for lunch. Belmore Park is a favourite haunt of our kids with its fantastic kids playground, however on this occasion we were surprised by a collection of fire trucks and ambulances of all shapes and sizes. It wasn't an incident at the Francis Greenway designed courthouse, but rather an Emergency Services Open Day. Joy of joys, the Little Helpers nearly wet themselves with excitement at being invited into the back of an ambulance. The Little Fisherman was able to correctly identify the breathing apparatus in the back of a pumper - but the RFS trucks were his favourite as they could go off-road! Ah, he must be my son.

The Taralga Fire Truck - Dennis

Finally we dragged the tykes away, only to be hauled off the road again at Taralga. The Taralga fire shed was also hosting an open day, however the star attraction was an ancient Dennis Fire Truck. The boys were excited, but were muscled out of the driver's seat by their mother! An unusual turn of events for sure.

The simple luxuries of life

How do you get the whole family to embrace camping?

Easy, bring all the comforts of home into a natural setting. Allow the kids to poke sticks in fires, marvel at wildlife passing through your field of view, enjoy a home cooked meal, a chilled wine or beer, count the stars as they come out and retire to a comfortable bed after a warm shower.

Impossible? well not really.

There are a few really neat looking vehicles that will allow you to explore almost anywhere in the world, with most of life's luxuries to hand. Some that look amazing are the Australian built Earth Cruiser and the Adventurer 4x4 Motorhome.

The only problem is the price tag - and the fact most of these vehicles are perfectly set up for a couple. There is no market for a self contained family 4x4 touring vehicle except for in America, home of the Earth Roamer based on the F550 truck (I don't mind their Jeep version, but perhaps once the kids leave home). These are all highly specialised vehicles and if you wanted to tour the world's remotest areas, they would be ideal. In the meantime I can continue to use Google to dream and try to find the perfect compromise :)

Most of us mortals are constrained to using a 4WD wagon or ute that doubles as the family hack during the week. Now whilst a vehicle of this type is more than big enough if your camping equipment consists of a swag and an esky, there are a few creature comforts necessary to ensure repeated camping experiences with the wife and family.